Trainee Quantity Surveyor Review

My role as a Quantity Surveyor is still something which I am discovering as of right now, being only 5 months into the job. However as of right now I have had a wealth of experience in the construction industry and have been given first person experience of interacting with sub-contractors as well as going on site and seeing the construction happen in real time, allowing me to really immerse myself into this role and get the best I possibly can from this apprenticeship.

There are many new skills which I have been introduced to during my time in university which I have then built upon during my time working in the apprenticeship. I have learnt how to use a plethora of different software including but not limited to; AutoCAD, Navisworks, Revit and Bluebeam. All of these provide a different service which I can then apply into my daily work to help the job run more smoothly.

This degree apprenticeship programme can at times be arduous but this is something which I knew would be the case when I entered the process. This will always be the case in any field or programme, however Laing O'Rourke have got a very good ability to help us apprentices with many different services available to us just in case we have any problems. Other than this the programme I am happy to say has been thoroughly enjoyable and extremely immersive.

The programme is extremely well structured. From the outset we were given a structure which showed us where we would be and how we would achieve what was expected of us. Our training providers were introduced to us straight away and we have a knowledge of when and where we are expected to be at university and what is expected of us when we are there. Additionally when at work there is always work set out for me to get on with.

There is lots of support which I receive from my employer. There is plenty of Mental Health Support as well as other benefits which the employer provides for us to enhance our ability to learn in this programme and make our working lives as easy as possible. There are constantly training modules available to us which can allow us to continuously better ourselves and improve our talent. When times are getting hard and stressful especially in the programme where there may be exams looming they also offer study days which allow us to prioritise our revision for the upcoming exams.

There is lots of support which I receive from Laing O'Rourke. Other than my colleagues who I am very comfortable approaching whenever I need help and who are very experienced there is also many days which I can use to prioritise revision in exam periods. There is also many mental health workshops and other training programmes which I can use to my benefit at my pleasure.

My training provider (London Southbank University) has helped quite a lot by providing me with plenty of training and software experience. Additionally they provide plenty of information about construction materials and technology which I can then apply whenever I go onto site and into work. These are things which I have seen being built in the real world and this has really helped me get my mind around the theory which I have received from the University.

There is quite a few extra-curricular activities which I can get involved with. As well as this there is lots of societies which I can join and involve myself in. These include lots of activities which occur regularly and allow us to have catch ups which include giving us a break from the hectic schedule of daily working life.

Yes

I believe that overall as a programme, Laing O'Rourke has an amazing degree apprenticeship programme which allows a hybrid of study and working, which therein provides a combination of theory as well as theory application which can allow me to get my head around the theory that you learn. Additionally there is an amazing community feeling and you will always feel as part of the group in one way or another.

Make sure that you know what you are getting yourself into, it will most definitely be hard and also different and very rewarding. There is lots of opportunities for growth in your career and your aspirations will be met. However with all of these there is also lots of competition and you need to make sure to apply early with a sophisticated in-depth application.